Image by monkeyc.net
I use a Crumpler bag as my everyday/nappy bag and I have to say I love this bag. I have had it for about 3 years now, and after trying out all sorts of nappy bags, this one has worked the best for me and it looks good as well.
My lovely children’s ages span from nearly 2 to 9.5, so I need this bag to be ready to go all the time. Besides the essential items of nappies, nappy wipes and change of clothes for Babagansouki, there are some stock items that I like to have in the bag and replenish on a regular basis.
These are what I find useful and that might help me keep the children entertained if we get held up, or are at an adult focused activity. In no particular order they are:
(1). Tissues – I use a combination of this little travel packs and great big handfuls from the box at home. You can never have too many.
(2). Band aids - The healing power of a band aid is truly amazing! This particular item was actually the inspiration of this post. We were out and about lots over the weekend, fitting in activities before the warm weather fades for good , and I actually ran out of band aids. We had a particular accident prone week and I wished greatly that I had some in the bag yesterday when we were out. The crying time is dramatically reduced with my kids if I can place a band aid on the injury.
(3) Pencils and paper – I like to have a small pencil case, complete with pencils, rubber, pencil sharpener and some home made recycled note pads, in my bag at all times. I find this a particularly useful, if I am catching up at a cafe with someone for morning tea. The two smaller children will draw quietly (for a while at least) , so I can enjoy some uninterrupted conversation time.
(4). A pack of cards - I currently have a Playschool pack of cards in my bag, because I can play the memory game with all the children (except for the toddler). It is great to be able to pull the pack out and have a game if we are are stuck waiting somewhere. Although this is a 36 pack of cards, we can reduce the pack to 22 cards and play a smaller game if we have less room.
(5). Hair ties – I only have one daughter and her hair is just starting to get quite long. Possum doesn’t always like to have her hair tied up, but sometimes when we are out, her hair starts falling into her face and distracting her, so it is handy to have a couple stashed in the bag.
(6). A couple of matchbox cars - Babaganouski is in love with cars, so I like to have some in the bag which can be used in emergencies for entertainment or distraction purposes.
(7). Plastic shopping bags – I like to have a couple knotted and slipped into a side pocket. They are useful for many different things including putting dirty/wet clothes in and for rubbish if we are in a park which has a “carry in-carry out” policy.
(8). Sunscreen - The children put on sunscreen in the morning, but with the hot Australian sun, it often needs to be reapplied regularly. I like to keep a small tube (contained within a zip-lock bag, in case of leakage) in a pocket of the bag. We are a very fair skinned family, so it doesn’t even have to be that hot for us to burn.
(9). Coins – After too many experiences of not having change for parking meters, I now stash away some coins in a very old film canister. I always look to my wallet first for coins, but it is great to have back up supplies if I find that there is none in the wallet.
(10). Safety Pin - A very simple but helpful tool in many situations. I have used it to hold together a dress strap (my own actually) and to rethread and hold together broken elastic in shorts.
What do you keep in your everyday bag?
{ 1 trackback }
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Great suggestions and I just wish I could get organized like this. I make up the bag, then forget the bag. Whoops!
Anyway,,,trying carrying recycled newspaper pencils, pens, notebooks made by O’BON. They are great and kids love them.
http://www.school-obon.com
I always carry a novel: you never know when you’ll have to wait in a queue or have a spare 5 minutes to read! Also tampons (or tampams, as my son calls them), roll-on sunscreen, a small plastic makeup bag for a lipstick and concealer, and definitely textas/pencils and paper for the kids and usually a book for them too. They are so well behaved in cafes if they can draw or read!
I love the idea of carrying around playing cards and will have to adopt that one, thanks.
Lazy Cow’s last blog post..Will the paint fumes EVER disappear?
Carrying items for kids to play with is child safety and prevention from harm in one foul swoop. Congratulations to every parent who does this.
My kids are now big but I still carry a little something in my bag – a distraction from child abuse in case I am in a grocery line and child in front is playing up merry hell – rather than have Mum or Dad lose their cool and wallop said child, I pull out my little toy and play with it myself: most times it quietens child down because they are interested in what the silly lady behind is doing. This allows parents to complete their task (without abusing the child)and for the mood to become calmer again. I also carry made up chatter boxes (my business cards)to give to kids because invariably a child wants to keep my toy.
Megan from Imaginif’s last blog post..How to listen
I’ve pretty much got my bag sorted as well:
* little toys to keep my kids amused – puzzle balls, puzzle books and cars are the favourite
* snacks that don’t perish i.e. a box of sultanas, muesli bars … just incase I get caught out somewhere
* sunscreen – a must!
* Antibacterial hand gel … or as my son calls it … “Magic Soap”! Great for when you have to change dirty nappies or if there aren’t any soap in public loos (my personal pet hate). Won’t leave home without it!
* business cards
* My “Entertainment Guide” coupons for ice-creams, bread etc. I don’t mean to sound tight but I would never end up using them otherwise!!
Patriot John – thanks for the link, they look like some great eco friendly products.
Thanks Megan – I love the chatter boxes idea, you really are very thoughtful.
LazyCow – I think I should put some of our mini books in the bag, as all my kids love being read a story.
Laine – I think I will include the antibacterial gel in my list, I like the sound of it and will get myself sum.
I have all the same things you do, except for the plastic bags. The number of things you need is related to your children’s ages. The younger they are – the more stuff you have to cart around!
PreSchool Mama’s last blog post..PreSchool Games: What Your Child Learns Playing Doctor
awesome list – I had a few of these but I must re-organise my bag to include them all.
I think the antibacterial gel is a good idea too.
I have been trying to carry a small container of mini m & m’s and I am going to add balloons again and some string – always handy for when you need a quick distraction or toy to play with.
Babyamore (Trish)’s last blog post..Be careful what you wish for … Identical Triplets
Here’s my must list: billfold, compact, lipstick, dental floss, nose spray. Put nose spray at the top of the list.
My husband makes fun of me because I have a whole stack of “everyday” bags to choose from that are packed for a purpose.
But, we spend most of our time outside. So, my everyday bag always has a camera, a small first-aid kit, a bottle of water, fruit, extra socks and lip balm. A guide book is usually thrown in too, depending on where we’re going.
Robin Rivers’s last blog post..Your Active Community – How A Barn Becomes A Recreation Asset
As a mommy to a 2 year old we carry alot of stuff. Pull-ups, Wipes, Antibacterial Wipes instead of the gel, a plastic bowl, Cereal Bag which is a zip up purse that I can hook onto my daughters car seat, Doll, Books, Hair thingys, plastic bags, tylonel, fever reducer, allergy meds, extra sippy cup.
Thanks for all the valuable items to put in the bag. I will aim to get around to collating a “definitive” list from this some time soon!
I need to stock my purse right now!
Nap Warden’s last blog post..LOST and the Lipstick Jungle
There are some things on your list that I need to add to mine!
I keep:
A compact sized Bible
An inhaler (for allergies)
Cough drops
Orajel
A pill bottle with various pills…heartburn pills, Advil, Tylenol, Baby Aspirin
A powerful compact flashlight (a Surefire 6P)
Hand Sanitizer
Band-Aids
A Miniature Leatherman (in pink!)
A miniature lint roller
Shout wipes
It’s funny how we all have those certain indispensible items! I keep everything on my bike (that’s how I commute to work) and if I don’t have my bike with me – I’m lost.
We are taking off soon to ride our bikes from Alaska to Argentina (with 10-year-old twins!) so we’ll have our bikes with us all the time – that’ll be very convenient! (You can read about our journey at http://www.familyonbikes.org)
hi,
lots and lots of useful information.
we were living in melbourne last year and now in singapore, i can use most of your ideas for my kids.
thanks for all the great work
wanted to know how to download the preschool writing pack and also how to make the home made recycled notepad
my kids are 8 and 4 and i will need a lot of paper to keep their creative ideas pouring in, so would appreciate the response.
have a great day
Veena
What a great post – you can see I am rather behind on your blog from all my comments
I have an OiOi Messenger bag, which has two side pockets for bottles. As I have always breastfed I use one for a ‘nappy stuff’ bag – antibac handgel, plasticbags, mini tube of changing cream etc – and the other fits a long skinny make up bag that has my inhaler, a lippy, bandaids, tissues, etc.
For me the trick is constantly replenishing the bag – I need to do it everynight or its chaos! Especially with cloth nappies – you don’t want to find a dirty you forgot about squished at the bottom.
I also have an ‘emergency’ bag in the boot of my car with sunscreen, a first aid kit, water bottles, towel, blanket, disposable nappies and wipes, plastic bags etc. Its a handy thing to have!
Gypsys last blog post..Worth musing over